The present invention relates in general to a central determination gaming system, and more particularly to a central determination gaming system with a game outcome generated by a gaming terminal and approved by a central controller. The majority of the contemporary wagering gaming devices or gaming terminals, such as slot machines, randomly generate awards and other outcomes. Such gaming devices typically include a relatively low probability associated with obtaining the highest award, relatively medium probabilities associated with obtaining medium range awards and relatively higher probabilities associated with obtaining low range awards. These gaming devices also include probabilities associated with obtaining losses or no award at all. The probabilities of obtaining the awards and the amount of the awards determine the average expected pay out percentage of these wagering gaming devices. Because the outcomes of these gaming devices are completely randomly determined, there is no certainty that a player will ever obtain any particular award. That is, no matter how many times a player plays the game, since the gaming device generates outcomes randomly or completely based upon a probability calculation, there is no certainty that the game will ever provide the player with a rare outcome, such as a jackpot award, or any other specific value for that matter. On the other hand, due to the random determination, the gaming device can provide the rare outcomes, such as jackpot awards, numerous times in a small number of plays. For example, a probability-based $1 slot machine gaming device may be programmed to payback 95% of all wagers placed with a 1% chance of generating a $10 win outcome, a 5% chance of generating a $5 win outcome, a 10% chance of generating a $2 win outcome, a 40% chance of generating a $1 win outcome and a 44% chance of generating a $0 loss outcome. However, when one hundred game outcomes are generated by the probability-based slot machine gaming device, the actual payback may be 137% of all wagers placed and the actual generated outcomes may be six $10 win outcomes, one $5 win outcome, eighteen $2 win outcomes, thirty-six $1 win outcomes and thirty-nine $0 loss outcomes.
This uncertainty is faced by players and casinos or other gaming establishments. For example, certain casinos prefer that a relatively high number of players hit low awards while a relatively low number of players hit high awards. When players hit high awards periodically, casinos attract more players, because of the positive publicity large wins generate. By using desired payback percentages or probabilities, the casinos can also expect to make a certain level of profit. The random determinations can, however, unexpectedly cause casinos to suffer a loss or, on the other hand, to reap great profit in the short run and lose business in the long run due to a reputation for only paying out low awards.
Regulatory bodies in certain jurisdictions do not permit the use of probability-based gaming devices in-part for these reasons. These regulatory bodies permit the use of wagering gaming devices which are guaranteed to provide certain or definite awards, so that, for example, a certain number of wins is guaranteed and the overall amount paid back to players is guaranteed. That is, the payback percentage is fixed and not an average expected amount. One type of gaming device which complies with this requirement is an instant-type lottery gaming device. An instant-type lottery gaming device includes a finite pool or set of electronic tickets with each electronic ticket assigned to a predetermined outcome. Alternatively, each electronic ticket could be assigned to a random number or game play seed. Each seed is deterministic of a predetermined game outcome. That is, the gaming device utilizes the random number or game play seed in a random number generating algorithm to generate at least one and preferably a plurality of random numbers that the gaming device then uses to determine and provide the predetermined game outcome. In an instant-type lottery gaming device, as the predetermined outcome for each electronic ticket is revealed to a player on the gaming device, the ticket is flagged or marked as used in the finite pool of electronic tickets. Once flagged, a ticket is prevented from being used again to determine another game outcome. This type of gaming device provides players with all of the available outcomes over the course of the play cycle and guarantees the actual wins and losses.
Since an instant-type lottery gaming device has a finite pool of predetermined win/loss outcomes, it is possible to configure the pool to specific conditions or criteria requested by the casino or gaming establishment. An example of these conditions or criteria are the number of tickets included in the pool and the exact payback percentage or payback sum for the pool as a whole. The payback percentage or sum represents the guaranteed payout for the entire pool of predetermined outcomes. Other examples of conditions or criteria are what prizes will be awarded and the frequency of winning outcome tickets amongst the total number of tickets for the pool. For example, if a predetermined pool includes twenty $1 tickets and the pool has a payback sum of $10, then the pool might consist of one $5 win outcome, one $2 win outcome, three $1 win outcomes and fifteen $0 loss outcomes and may be represented as the following outcomes: 5, 2, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. It should be appreciated that the above described pool of twenty tickets is for illustration purposes only and a pool could include any suitable desired number of tickets including a large number such as one million or more.
Additionally, even though a pool may include more than one of the same game outcome, such as more than one lose game outcomes in the pool, the presentation to the player, such as the reel symbol combination in a slot machine, cards dealt in a card game and the like, is preferably varied for each sequential game outcome. For example, in the twenty ticket pool described above, while three game outcomes may each determine a win game outcome with a value of $1, each game outcome will be preferably presented to the player as a multiple different or all different combinations of reel symbols in a slot machine game. This provides increased excitement for the player because the player is continuously presented with different combinations of reel symbols.
Central determination gaming systems are also generally known. A central determination gaming system provides a plurality of individual gaming terminals or devices, located in a gaming establishment, such as a casino, coupled by one or more communication links, to a central processor or computing system. When a player plays a game on one of the gaming devices a game outcome is determined at the central processor based on probability data. The determined game outcome is communicated from the central system to the individual gaming device and then provided to the player. It should be appreciated that one central processor may continuously determine the game outcomes for hundreds or thousands of individual gaming devices at once.
In order to comply with the above mentioned regulatory rules that do not permit the use of gaming devices or terminals that provide probability based game outcomes, central determination gaming systems have been implemented wherein the central system maintains one or more predetermined pools or sets of game outcomes. Each game outcome in each pool includes a game outcome component (i.e., a win, a lose, a secondary game trigger or other suitable outcome) with an associated value or payout amount, if any, and a game presentation component (i.e., how the game outcome is displayed or presented to the player). In these systems, when a player makes a wager on one of the gaming devices, the central system selects a game outcome from a pool of game outcomes and flags or marks the selected game outcome as used. Once a game outcome is used, it is prevented from further selection from the predetermined pool or set and cannot be selected by the central processor upon another wager. The selected game outcome is communicated to the individual gaming terminal. The individual gaming terminal displays or presents the game presentation component and provides the player the game outcome component with the associated value, if any, for the selected game outcome.
These systems of central production or control can assist a casino or other entity in maintaining appropriate records, controlling gaming, reducing and preventing cheating or electronic or other errors, reducing or eliminating win-loss volatility and the like. However, these systems also require a substantial amount of memory because the central controller must store a game outcome component and a game presentation component for each game outcome in each set or pool of predetermined game outcomes. Additionally, certain central determination gaming systems have been implemented wherein the central system maintains one or more predetermined pools or sets of random number or game play seeds. In these systems, the central processor selects a game play seed and the selected game play seed is communicated to an individual gaming terminal. The gaming terminal utilizes the communicated game play seed to determine the predetermined game outcome.
Gaming devices having a primary or base game and a secondary or a bonus game are also well known. A secondary or bonus game may be any type of suitable game, either similar to or completely different from the primary game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a triggering event or a selected outcome in the primary game. The secondary or bonus game enables the player to obtain a prize or payout in addition to the prize or payout, if any, obtained from the primary game. A secondary or bonus game may produce a significantly higher level of player excitement than a primary game alone because it provides a greater expectation of winning than the primary game and is accompanied with more attractive or unusual features than the primary game.